Fete Gallant

Adolphe Joseph Thomas Monticelli 1824-1886, was a French painter and influencer of Vincent van Gogh. Monticelli was well known to Theo and Vincent Van Gogh, Theo acted as agent for Monticelli in order to sell his works, Vincent knew his paintings very well and was impressed by their thick impasto and unauthenticity with regards to the Salon authorities who thought him mad, consequently when Monticelli died Vincent wrote to Theo claiming that he would carry on where Monticelli left off. The similarity in their works is readily apparent and a style in which Vincent carried on to his own demise. Monticelli was a brilliant artist and has been very much underrated, however during his lifetime he was in great demand especially here in the UK, the Scottish art dealer and collector Alex Reid was a big buyer of his paintings so much so he was known as Monticelli Reid. Monticelli trained in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and under Paul Delaroche, he is known to have painted with the Barbizon School of painters in the forest of Fontainebleau, where this image may have been inspired and designed, he was influenced in the Romantic style of Watteau. His works are still widely sought and collected despite the general lack of recognition throughout the World's art aficionados who regularly deny his brilliance, I think he was a great artist. This picture is unsigned, however there is an indecipherable script at the lowest point of the picture, which maybe the signature but we have erred on the side of caution.